Sewing-machine.



n. s. WOODWARD.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 26, I906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I- R. G WOODWARD.

SEWING MACHINE.

mwucmon FILED Nov. 26, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awuontdz R. G. WOODWARD.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 26. 1906.

1,139,093. I Patented May 11,1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- .2 .Z of

IFIE' I names R. G. WOODWARB.

SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26. 1906.

Patented May 11, 1915.

g SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Wit" eons UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. RUSSEL e. woonwnnn, or WAUKEGAN;ILLINoIs Ass eNon ro UNION srEcIAI. MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILL NoIs, A CORPORATION 01: ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 26, 1906. Serial No. 345,201.

To all 'whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, RUSSEL G. WoonwAnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waukegan, in the county of Lake, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of

which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in sewing machines and more particularly to sewing machines in which a trimming mechanism is provided for trimming oil the edge of thefabric to be overstitched, prior to the stitching operation.

The object of my invention is to provid a combined edge guide and trimming mechanism which shall be simultaneously adjusted relative to the needle of the stitching mechanism. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined edge guide, trimmer and strip guide all of which are simultaneously adjusted relative to the needle. I

A still further object of my invention is to provide a combined trimmer, edge guide, strip guide, hemmer and uncurler all of which cooperate in preparing the edge of end of a machine having my improvements the fabric for the stitching mechanism, and properly locating the same relative thereto.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be more fully hereinafter described.

My invention consists in the novel parts and arrangements hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, which show one embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the work supportshowing the presser foot, edge guide and hemmer and parts of the stitching mechanism, certain parts of the machine being omitted in this view for the sake of clearness; Fig. 3 is a side view showing the presser foot, the trimming blades, and the edge guide, and their relation to the work support and eachother; Fig. l is a rear detail perspective of the uncurling member; Fig. 5 is a front detail perspective of the uncurler and the stitch supporting finger; Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the work support and the lower trimmer support showing the manner of adjustably supporting said trimmer; Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the work support showing a rear plan view of the lower trimmer support and the edge guide; Fig. 8 is a detached perspective view of the lower trimmer support, the edge guide and the auxiliary support for said trimming member; Fig. 9 is a rear elevation View of the cover plate for the operating mechanism underneath the work support, alsoshowing the strip guide and the means for yieldingly supporting the same; Fig. 10 is a detached perspective view of the strip guide; Fig. 11 is a detached perspective view of the cover plate for the mechanism underneath the work support; and Fig. 12 shows the man ner of folding the fabric as it is presented to my machine.

In the drawings the overhanging arm 1 supports a needle bar 2, which is reciprocated therein by means of a lever 3 through are of the usual construction and will not require further description.

The presser bar 9 carries a presser foot 10, at its lower end. Said presser foot 10 comprises a shank portion and a pivoted foot portion 11 which is yieldingly held upon the work support 12 by means of a spring 13. This presser foot 10 carries a stitch supporting finger 14, which is secured thereto by a screw'15. Said stitch supporting finger lies adjacent to the path of the needle and the stitches are fed therefrom in the usual manner. I also provide the presser foot 10 with an uncurling member 16 which is secured to the presser foot by means of a screw 17 Said uncurler has a sharp edge 55 cover plate 37.

per cutting member 19 which is supported by the member 20 and receives its oscillations therefrom. The lower trimming member 21 as shown in detail in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 is carried b a support 22 which is in turn supporte by the work support 12. Said work support is slotted as at 23 and a hand screw 24 passing through said slot and engaging the trimming support, serves to hold said support in adjusted positions.

Passing through thefront end of the work support is a shaft 25 which hasa thumb piece 25' for turning the same which carries a graduated dial 26. A plate 27 secured to the inner face of the work support 12 25 engages a groove 28 in the shaft 25. This plate 27 allows the shaft 25 to be rotated but prevents any lon 'tudina-l movement of said shaft. The sha 25 carries on its inner end a threaded portion 29 which en- 30 gages a threaded recess 30 in the end of the trimmer support.

The edge guide 31 has a depending shank 32 which is secured to the trimmer support 22 by means of screws 33. Said edge guide 31 extends above the work su port 12 and has its upper surface inclined ownward to-.

' ward the stitching point.- The front end of the edge guide is however, slightly raised above the work support. The lower trimming member is located immediately adjacent the edge guide 31 and extends slightly above the work support and forms a continuance of the edge guide for the fabric as clearly-shown in Figs. 3 and 7. In the rear of the stitching point is a guard 34 which is secured to the work support and extends along the path of the edge of the fabric to a point adjacent the stitch supporting finger. Said guard serves to prevent the chain of stitches between garments from being deflected into the trimmer operating mechanism.

The bed plate 35 has a bracket 36 securedthereto and bin d to said bracket 36 is a aid cover plate extends upwardly and backwardly so as to cover the operating parts of the stitching mechanism underneath the work support and at the same time render the same accessible. Slid ingly secured to the cover plate is a strip guide 38. The cover plate 37 is provided with a slot 39 and the strip guide is secured to the cover plate by a member 40.-

Said member 40 is located on the opposite side of the cover plate from thestrip guide 38 and is secured thereto by screws which pass through the slot in said plate.

The member 40 has an upwardly turned end against which a spring 41 bears. Said spring 41 is carried by an arm 42 rigidly supported bythe cover plate. The strip guide 38 is normally ressed by the spring 41 against the front of the trimmer support 22 and the trimming blade 21. Said strip guide extends up across the line of trimming and is located slightly in the rear of the trimming fpoint 'so that the strip severed from the bric by the trimmers is guided away from the stitching mechanism.

It will be noted that inasmuch as the edge guide is mounted upon the support for the lower trimming member and the strip guide is yieldingly held against the trimmer support that when said trimmer support is adjusted relative to the needle that the edge guide and also the strip guide will be simultaneously adjusted therewith. The up-.

per trimming member is spring pressed against the lower member so that said upper member also is adjusted with the lower member. This simultaneous adjustment of the two trimming blades is of the usual 'construction and therefore, the manner of supporting the upper trimming member has not been shown in detail.

The work support 12 is provided with a pivoted section 43 on which is mounted a hemmer 44. Said hemmer has a forwardly extending arm 45 which is bent back upon itself at 46 in order to .fold and guide the fabric properly to the stitching mechanism.

In the operation of my machine the fabric is folded as shown in Fig. 12 and as the same passes through the machine the body of the fabric rests on the work support 12, while the hem -which isbeing stitched passes between the arms of the hemmer 44 with its free edge resting upon the ledge'47. The free edge passes down over the edge guide 31 while the folded edge of the fabric passes along side of and is guided by said edge guide. As the .free edge of the fabric passes underneath the uncurler 18, the same 1s uncurled and .is so held until the edge reaches the trimming mechanism which operates to trim said raw edge. As soon as the edge which has been trimmed passes the trimming mechanism, it is presented to thestitch forming mechanism which operates to secure the same to the body fabric. The edge guide 31 is shown as inclined downward for the reason that as the fabric passes through the hemmer, the folded portion of the fabric is separated from the body portion, by the member 46 of the hemmer. At the stitching point however, the folds in the fabric are superposed directly upon each other. The edge guide 31 over which the edge of the material to be trimmed passe s, is therefore inclined downward so as to he substantially in the path of movement of the edge of the fabric and to form a support for the same. This is especially desirable as the uncurling de\ ce which engages the edge of the fabric operates upon the same between the stitching point and the hemmer, and there must necessarily be a support for the edge in order to render the uncurler operative.

The purpose of the strip guide as above noted, is to engage the strip of materlal severed from the edge of the body fabric and to deflect it off to one side away from the stitching mechanism.

By my improved arrangement of parts wherein the trimmer and edge guide may be simultaneously adjusted, it will be seen that the edge guide may be properly adjusted relative to the trimmer and thereafter, when it is desired to shift the edge guide relative to the stitching mechanism for varying thicknesses of fabric which would require also an adjustment of the trimmer, the adjustment of these parts may be quickly brought about by a single device and with out in any way disturbing the relative adjustment of the trimmer and the edge guide.

By making the strip guide simultaneously adjustable with the edge guide and trimmer,

the operator does not need to make a separate adjustment of this part which must have a definite position relative to the trimmer but by a single thumb nut all of the parts necessary to be adjusted may be quickly shifted so that the machine is rendered capable of operating upon material of any thickness.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details shown and described may be made without, departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sewing machine including in combination, a stitch forming mechanism, a trimming mechanism including a normally stationary lower blade and a cooperating movable upper blade, an edge guide, and means for positively adjusting the lower blade laterally with respect to the stitch forming mechanism independently of said upper blade, and for simultaneously adjusting said.

edge guide.

2. A sewing machine including in combination, a stitch forming mechanism, a trimming mechanism including a normally stationary lower blade and a cooperating movable upper blade, an edge guide, a strip the lower blade laterally of said stitch form.-

ing mechanism independently of the upper blade and for simultaneously adjusting said edge guide and said strip guide.

3. A sewing machine including in combination stitch forming mechanism, trimming mechanism, comprising a trimmer support, a trimmer blade carried thereby, an edge guide carried by said trimmer support, a strip guide, and means for yieldingly pressing said strip guide against the trimmer support and means for adjusting said trims mer support; substantially as described. I 4. A sewing machine including in combination a presser foot, stitch forming mechanism, an edge guide, an uncurler carried bysaid presser foot and cooperating with the upper face of said edge guide to uncurl the fabric, a trimming mechanism comprising a trimmer support, a trimmer blade carried thereby and means for positively and simultaneously adjusting said-trimmer blade and edge guide relative to the stitching mechanism; substantially as described.

5. A sewing machine including in combination, a stitch-forming mechanism, a trimming mechanism, an edge guide, a strip guide movable relative to the trimming mechanism, and means for simultaneously adjusting'said trimming mechanism, edge guide and strip guide relative to the stitchsubstantially as Y 6. A sewing machine including in combination, a stitch-forming mechanism, a trimming mechanism, an edge guide, a strip guide movable relative to the trimming mechanism, and means for simultaneously adjusting said trimming mechanism, edge guide and strip guide relative to the stitching mechanism, said strip guide being located to one side of said trimmer and edge guide; substantially as described.

7. A sewing machine including in combination, a stitch-forming mechanism, a trimming mechanism, an edge guide, a strip guide movable relative to the trimming mechanism, and means for simultaneously adjusting said trimming mechanism, edge guide and strip guide relative to the stitching mechanism, and a pivoted hemming device, whereby the hemmer can be moved out of the path of the strip guide; substantially as described.

8. A sewing machine including in combination a work support, a trimming mechanism comprising a stationary lower blade, a support for said blade mounted beneath the work support, means for adjusting said support, means for holding said support in its adjusted positions, an edge guide carried by said support, said edge guide extending above the work support, a strip guide yieldingly moved toward said trimming mechanlsm, and means whereby said strip guide is adjusted with said trimmer support.

9. A sewing machine including in combination, a work support, a trimming mechanism, including a lower blade, a support for said lower blade mounted beneath the work support, means for adjusting said trimmer support, a cover plate, a strap guide slidingly connected to said cover plate, means for yieldingly forcing said strip guide against said trimmer support, and an edge guide carried by said trimmer support. 15

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

in presence of two witnesses.

RUSSEL G. \VOODVARD Witnesses:

CHESTER MCNEIL, FRANCES C. BUTLER. 

